What to bake when you're tired of zucchini bread? Gluten-free chocolate zucchini cake! It's moist, tender, super chocolatey, and so easy to make with one bowl in 10 minutes of active time.

This tender cake is undetectably gluten-free (and optionally dairy-free) thanks to a combination of just two flours: sweet rice flour and sorghum flour. Mix up this easy batter in 10 minutes of active time - no zucchini-squeezing required! – and top this snacking cake with swirls of silky chocolate cream cheese frosting for an über-chocolatey treat.

The sweetest way to use up zucchini! It makes this gluten-free chocolate cake super moist and tender while using up an entire half pound of zucchini.

If you're looking for ways to use up zucchini, you're going to love this dreamy chocolate zucchini cake. This well-tested recipe comes from my award-winning gluten-free baking cookbook Alternative Baker, where I've shared 140+ recipes made with flavorful gluten-free flours instead of boring all-purpose blends.

This cake is:

gluten-free and optionally dairy-free
moist & tender
richly chocolatey
made with flavorful whole-grain sorghum flour
packed with half a pound of zucchini
easy to make in about 10 minutes of active time

I'm so excited to share it with you, and I hope you love it as much as I and my cookbook readers do!

the cake has been cut into small squares — Top this cake with swirls of chocolate cream cheese frosting for double chocolate trouble!

Ingredients & Substitution Suggestions

This recipe comes together with 10 real-food ingredients.

ingredients have been arranged on a marble surface — INGREDIENTS: sweet rice flour, sorghum flour, milk or plant milk, eggs, salt, baking powder, cocoa powder, brown sugar, finely shredded zucchini, and oil or olive oil

Flours

Two gluten-free flours make this cake moist, tender, and floofy, no xanthan gum or starches needed. Be sure to use certified gluten-free flours, such as Bob's Red Mill brand which are made in a dedicated GF facility.

Learn more about my approach to GF baking in my beginner's guide to gluten-free flours.

Sweet rice flour adds starchy stickiness and creates a neutral backdrop for the other flavors.
- Sub by weight GF all-purpose flour such as Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1.
Sorghum flour absorbs moisture from the zucchini and adds rich, nutty flavor to the batter.
- Sub by weight brown rice flour, or try teff flour or almond flour.

Other Ingredients

Zucchini is the star of this show. Choose small zucchini which have lower water content and grate them on the small holes of a box grater so they'll dissolved into the batter and create a smooth, even crumb. I've formulated the recipe so that you don't need to squeeze the zucchini to remove the liquid.
Oil and milk add moisture to the batter. I like sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, or olive oil. I've tested this with whole milk and oat milk and both work great!
Eggs add loft and springiness. I don't recommend subbing them out if you can help it. But if you have an egg allergy, I'd recommend trying this with 1 flax egg and 4 tablespoons Greek yogurt (dairy or plant-based) or applesauce in place of the eggs. Or you could try 6-8 tablespoons Just Egg or aquafaba.
Brown sugar adds sweetness and moisture.
- Sub by weight coconut sugar.
Baking powder lifts the batter, making the cake light and springy.
Salt and vanilla deepen the flavors.

Be sure to see the recipe card below for exact quantities!

Method

This recipe makes one 8-inch square cake, which you can cut into 9, 12, or 16 servings. It takes about 10 minutes to mix up with just a bowl and a whisk, plus 30-40 minutes to bake.

the dry ingredients are in a sieve awaiting sifting — Place the dry ingredients in a medium-mesh strainer set over a bowl.

the dry ingredients have been sifted together — Sift to remove any clumps.

the wet ingredients are in a mixing bowl — Shred the zucchini on the small holds of a box grater. Put the shredded zucchini in a large bowl with the eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, milk, and oil.

a hand whisks the zucchini mixture — Whisk to combine.

dry ingredients have been added to the zucchini mixture — Add the sifted flour mixture.

the batter has been mixed — Whisk to make a smooth batter.

the batter is in the cake pan ready to bake — Pour the batter into an 8-inch square pan lined with parchment paper. This is the pan I use (affiliate link).

the baked cake is on a cooling rack — Bake the chocolate zucchini cake until a tester inserted near the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.

frosting has been added to the top of the baked cake — Let cool, then remove from the pan transfer to a serving platter.

the frosted cake, uncut — Top the cake with swirls of cocoa cream cheese frosting, or other frosting or ganache of your choice.

Frostings & Toppings

Top this cake with any frosting or ganache that you like. Here are a few favorites:

a slice of cake on a plate has a bite taken out of it, showing off its plush crumb

Storage

This zucchini cake keeps beautifully, staying moist and tender for days. Here's how to keep it fresh:

Wrap and store the baked, unfrosted cake at room temperature for up to 1 day.
Store the frosted cake in a covered container at room temperature for up to 1 day.
Refrigerate the frosted cake for up to 5 days; bring to room temperature before serving so the frosting will be creamy.
Freeze the cake, frosted or unfrosted and well-wrapped, for up to 1 month.

Bojon appétit! For more Bojon Gourmet in your life, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, or Pinterest, purchase my award-winning gluten-free baking cookbook Alternative Baker, or subscribe to receive new posts via email. And if you make this gluten-free chocolate zucchini cake recipe, I’d love to know. Leave a comment and rating below, and tag your Instagram snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet.

5 from 2 reviews

Mega-Moist Chocolate Zucchini Cake (Gluten-Free)

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Mix up this gluten-free chocolate zucchini cake in 10 minutes of active time. It's super moist and packed with good-for-you ingredients.

Alanna Taylor-Tobin

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 30

Total: 45

Servings: 12 -16 servings

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients

8 ounces (225 g) zucchini, grated on the fine holes of a box grater
1 cup (200 g) packed light or dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
¼ cup (60 ml) neutral oil such as sunflower, or olive oil
¼ cup (60 ml) whole milk or plant milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Dry Ingredients

¾ cup (60 g) Dutch-process cocoa powder
¾ cup + 2 tablespoons (115 g) sorghum flour (I use Bob's Red Mill brand; or try brown rice or teff flour)
¼ cup (39 g) sweet rice flour (or GF AP flour)
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon fine sea salt

Topping

1 recipe chocolate cream cheese frosting

Equipment

8-inch square pan

Instructions

Prepare Things

To make the cake, position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350ºF (175ºC). Line an 8-inch square cake pan with parchment paper on all sides.

Batter

Trim the zucchini and grate them on the medium holes of a box grater (the ones that measure 1⁄8 inch [2–3 mm]); you should have 2 cups packed grated zucchini.
In a large bowl, whisk together the zucchini, brown sugar, eggs, oil, milk and vanilla extract until combined well.
In a medium bowl, sift together the cocoa powder, sorghum flour, sweet rice flour, baking powder, and salt, pushing through any clumps. Stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture until smooth.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake

Bake the cake at 350ºF until the top springs back to the touch, and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with moist crumbs, 30-40 minutes.
Let cool completely, then lift the cake out of the pan, invert onto a serving platter, and peel away the parchment.
Top with swirls of chocolate cream cheese frosting. Cut into squares, and serve.

Storage

Store the cake, covered, at cool room temperature for up to 24 hours, in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to several months. The cake is best at room temperature so the frosting will be soft.

Video

Notes

Adapted from my book Alternative Baker: Reinventing Dessert with Gluten-Free Grains and Flours.

Nutritional values are based on one of twelve servings of the cake only.

Nutrition

Calories: 180kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 3gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.5gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.003gCholesterol: 28mgSodium: 118mgPotassium: 267mgFiber: 3gSugar: 19gVitamin A: 86IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 66mgIron: 1mg

Making this? I'd love to see!Tag your snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet!

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Comments

5 from 2 votes

Mega-Moist Chocolate Zucchini Cake (Gluten-Free)